TV highlights Sept. 7-13

THE MAN WHO PREDICTED 9/11 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11 The History Channel (Comcast Ch. 70) n For years, Rick Rescorla — the security chief for Morgan Stanley Bank, which occupied several upper floors of the South Tower of the World Trade Center — had tried to sell his bosses on a nightmare: that terrorists might use airplanes as weapons against the buildings. Though his fears were often ridiculed at Morgan Stanley, Rescorla quietly wrote up a contingency plan for just such a scenario, theorizing that the building might be structurally weakened by the impact of a large plane and urging an immediate evacuation if terrorists struck. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, this plan saved the lives of more than 3,000 of his co-workers. Sadly, Rescorla himself didn’t escape. Tune in, and find out about this visionary hero.

FRONTLINE: FAITH AND DOUBT AT GROUND ZERO 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11 AETN (Comcast Ch. 3, Broadcast Ch. 2)n The question has often been asked over the last five years: Where was God on 9/11? In a country that counts itself as overwhelmingly Christian, the role of God in the events of Sept. 11, 2001 can’t be ignored. Where was He? With us? Or with the ultra-religious fanatics who claimed to have killed in His name? It’s a reminder of another question, as old as religion itself: If God can do something to stop evil, why doesn’t He? Here, in this two-hour special, some of the world’s greatest theologians and thinkers tackle that age-old question, with particular thought given to the events of 9/11. Included are interviews with New York firefighters, police and those tasked with cleaning up the rubble, who found their faith tested on an almost daily basis by the magnitude of the destruction and human loss they witnessed.

AMERICAN EATS: BEER 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13 The History Channel (Comcast Ch. 70)n What with the long, hot summer coming to a close, we thought you might enjoy this look into the history of a substance near and dear to our hearts: beer. As old as civilization itself (archaeologists think that people learned to ferment grain into beer before they learned to bake bread), beer has seen many incarnations over the years, from the honey-based mead of the Vikings, to the ultra-refined boutique beers enjoyed by beer snobs today. Today, over 20 percent of the world’s beer is brewed in America. In this special, the History Channel takes viewers on a trip through the history of brewski, including looks at recipes down through the ages, the influence of German beers on the genre, the effect of Prohibition, changes in beer can technology, and the coming of the microbrewery fad.